Protection of personal data

The following information relates to the protection of your personal data. This is the data that allows you to be identified, directly or indirectly, such as your first name, surname, e-mail address and IP address.

Personal data is collected when:

• You surf on the pages of the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment. In your browser, those pages begin with ‘https://travel.info-coronavirus.be/’.
  When a link takes you to another portal site, a website, an online application or a social network, you must check the terms and conditions for the processing of personal data used by those responsible for those services;
• You contact us;
• You fill out the online form.

You are protected in accordance with:

• European Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (entered into force on 25 May 2018) on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data (GDPR).
• The Belgian Data Protection Act of 30 July 2018.

1. Legal bases and purposes of the processing operations

23 MAY 2001. - Royal Decree establishing the Federal Public Service of Health, Food Chain Safety & Environment;

Art. 6(1)(c) of the GDPR (processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject); 

Art. 21 of the Ministerial Decree of 28 October 2020 regarding urgent measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19.

Personal data is collected and processed with the aim of:

• making a risk analysis regarding your stay abroad upon your arrival in Belgium,
• informing you of a potential health risk,
• finding out who you had contact with as part of contact tracing,
• answering your questions.

Data is also collected and processed anonymously: 

• For statistical and qualitative purpose, with the aim of improving our services.

If your request for information or services is intended for another department, we provide you with the particulars of that department and you are free to choose whether or not to contact them.

2. Processed data 

In the situations listed in the table below, personal data is collected and processed automatically.

3. Use of cookies

This website uses cookies.

A cookie is a small text file that a website stores on your computer or mobile device when you visit the site.

On the page Cookie Policy you can find an overview of all cookies used on this website, explaining the different type of cookies used as well as information on how to delete cookies.

3.1 What cookies are used on the website?

3.2 Different types of cookies

There are different types of cookies, as described below.

• Purpose based

Technical essential cookies: they are essential for pure technical reasons when using a website, for example authentication that are stored when visiting a website.

Functional cookies: they are placed to ensure the proper functioning of the website according to the user’s expectations, like for example the language preference. In order to use essential technical and functional cookies, no prior user consent is required. The purpose of their use lies in the legitimate interest of the internet user or the data controller.

• Owner based

First party cookies are installed by the website you are visiting. Only this site can read them.

Third party cookies: these are cookies which are not installed by the website you are visiting, but because the website makes use of social media or advertisements. They are not used on this site.

• Duration based

Session cookies: they only exist during the session and are automatically deleted as soon as the user closes their browser.

Persistent cookies: they are stored on your device and remain there until the date of expiration, unless the user deletes them before the expiration date.

3.3 Accepting or refusing cookies 

• Essential cookies

It is indispensable these cookies are installed on your device to enable a normal visit of the website. These cookies are installed automatically from the moment you visit the website, and you cannot refuse them.

• Functional cookies 

Functional cookies remember the choices you make during your visit. If you want to us our website, you cannot refuse them. Nevertheless, we only install them after your confirmation.

4. Storage Duration

The storage duration:

• of your IP address is the duration of your session  
• of the cookies: see the Cookie Policy
• of the exchanges through the form: 28 days

In exceptional cases, such as in the context of legal proceedings, your personal data may be stored for a longer period. 

5. Security

The Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment guarantees the security (integrity and confidentiality) of your personal data.  It is protected against unauthorised access, unauthorised use, loss and unauthorised changes.

To this end, we use security methods and procedures that we will not describe in detail here for security reasons.

Appropriate physical, technical and organisational measures are taken to guarantee a level of security that is appropriate with regard to the risks.

6. Right of inspection, modification, objection and deletion

You have certain rights relating to the personal data that we use: the right of inspection, the right of modification, the right to object and the right to have data deleted.

Your application will be processed within 30 calendar days. If your application is complex or if our department has to deal with a large number of applications, that period may be extended by 60 days.

Please send an e-mail or letter to our Data Protection Officer together with a scanned or paper copy of your identity document containing your signature to the following address in order to exercise your rights:

DPO.PHA@health.fgov.be

C/O Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment

Eurostation II
Avenue Galilée 5, boîte 2
1210 Bruxelles

7. Data transfer

In the context of contact tracing we may transfer your data to the health authorities of the Belgian Regions and Communities and to Sciensano.

As part of the contact tracing done by the Early Warning and Response System of the European Union (EWRS), your data might be transferred to a member-state of the EU in the interest of public health.

Under the "Cooperation Agreement of 24 March 2021 between the Federal State, the Flemish Community, the Walloon Region, the German-speaking Community and the Joint Community Commission on data transmission to federated entities, local authorities or police services of necessary data for the purpose of maintaining the compulsory quarantine or testing of travellers arriving from foreign zones subject to compulsory quarantine or testing on arrival in Belgium “ your details may be passed on to the federated entities, local authorities or police services.

Transfer to third parties

As part of the contact tracing your data might be transferred to the National Focal Point (NFP) of a country outside of the European Union in order to protect public health, in accordance with the International Health Regulation of 2005.

8. Complaints

If you consider that the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment has not processed your personal data in accordance with the applicable regulations, you are entitled to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority:

Data Protection Authority
Rue de la Presse 35
1000 Brussels
E-mail: contact@apd-gba.be

9. Contact details

For more information about our data protection policy, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at: DPO.PHA@health.fgov.be